Getting Up Close and Personal

I like taking photos, love it really.  
I'm no expert, I've never taken a photography class, just something I've always enjoyed.  Although, I might take a class someday because I keep trying to figure out what an aperture is and I can't figure it out.  
Until then I will fill you in on the little things I've learned along the way.  Just my experiences.  Nothing too in depth. For example, my advice to you today is to get up close and personal with your photo subject.  If you are taking pictures of a child, pet, flower get up close.  Fill the whole photo with whomever or whatever you are photographing.  It's fun and can be far more personal.  

We all love chubby little baby fingers.  Well, my baby's fingers are now four years old but this photo will help me to remember them in all their chubbiness.  When you fill the frame with your subject more detail stands out and they are the star of the show.

Another part of getting up close and personal is getting down on the level of your subject.  I do believe I was on my belly when I took this.  If you can't beat them join them, that's the way it works.
Also, I did not ask my guy to put his hands on his face, he was already doing this.  He was actually waiting to be buried in the leaves, by his brother and sister.  If you ask a child to do something, as in pose for a photo, it doesn't usually work out.  Actually, it almost never looks as you've imagined it and you'll find yourself screaming at them that all you want is one stinking photo for the christmas card!  Not that I've ever done that.  
I find it more relaxing to photograph children in their natural habitat, you get better photos because they are more relaxed and you are more relaxed.  So, get down on the play room floor or sit yourself down in the grass and snap away while they play. Say their name every once in a while, they'll look at you.  If they like you they probably will even smile. 
Or, if you don't want to get down on their level, bring them up to yours.  Let them climb a tree or get up on the jungle gym.  They love that kind of stuff, so you'll get lots of fun smile and crazy faces.  

 How's that for up close?  Did I scare ya?

I have really been enjoying taking photos of flowers, I started this past spring and have been snapping photos of my flowers all summer.  The closer the better!  Flowers are like individual works of art.  

This is the mum that sits on my front porch this very moment.  On a bright sunny day I plopped myself down beside it and took it's picture.  Don't be overly concerned with how crazy you look to passersby. in the large scheme of things it doesn't really matter and you'll get a good photo so it will all be worth it.  Actually, I figure we usually look crazy to passersby anyway, so why try to be different.  I have one boy who insists on 'watering' the trees and another who stands up in a tree and personally greets each and every individual who walks by.  With all that going on they probably won't even notice me and my camera.  


Let's review, if you are looking for something different than your four foot away point and shoot then get up close, fill the whole screen with something or someone you love and change your point of view.  Get down where your photo subject is or bring them up, switch things up a bit.  If you want to get really crazy and are photographing people, you don't even have to get their whole face for it to be fun and memorable:

Now, get out there and take some pictures, have some fun and make some memories!